


Peter's Family

by deadiepool



Series: irondad n spideyson au [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Iron Man 1, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Tony Stark is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28256835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadiepool/pseuds/deadiepool
Summary: Peter Benjamin Stark has his family wrapped around his little finger.
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: irondad n spideyson au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096076
Comments: 8
Kudos: 173





	1. Tony Stark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony was _definitely_ not a family man.  
> So when he arrived at his sprawling Malibu home one night and was met with the sight of Pepper Potts carrying a small baby who looked exactly like him, he knew he was going to sue the shit out of whatever company made the condom he used that led to that kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: The second sentence implies child abuse and alcoholism. Please skip to "Tony was _definitely_ not a family man." if you need to.  
> edit: i changed the peter's age from one/two to two/three

Tony was never a family man. 

He didn't have the best childhood, all he could remember was his mom crying while Howard shouted at him, stumbling toward Tony with his fist raised...

Yeah, Tony was _definitely_ not a family man.

So when he arrived at his sprawling Malibu home one night and was met with the sight of Pepper Potts carrying a small baby who looked _exactly_ like him, he knew he was going to sue the shit out of whatever company made the condom he used that led to that kid. What did he use? The kid wasn't too big, so Tony guessed he had to be a year old. Maybe even two years? If his calculations were correct (which they always are), the condom he used was-

"Tony." He was snapped out of his thoughts, his full attention back on Pepper and his mini-me. Pepper looked concerned, scared even, most likely for the kid. Tony was scared too. He didn't want a kid. He couldn't have a kid because he would ruin it, with his Stark-ness.

"Tony. Tony!" The man was yet again snapped out of his thoughts (God he needed to work on his focusing skills) and this time he saw only Pepper, as if the kid wasn't there to begin with.

"Oh thank God, I was just hallucinating." Tony laughed, almost collapsing with relief. "You wouldn't believe it Pep, I walked in here and I saw you with a baby- _holy fuck_." There it was again! The kid, just sitting on the couch and watching Tony with wide innocent eyes.

"Tony... That wasn't a hallucination." Pepper sighed, sitting down next to the baby, who just climbed up on her lap and sat there, looking back at Tony and staring at him. "His name is Peter, and he's two, turning three in a few months from now. I found him on the doorstep, I had JARVIS look back at the security footage to see who left him, but there were no clear shots of her face. It's like she knew a camera was there."

Tony didn't respond. His eyes drifted from Pepper to the baby, who just grinned at him. Tony's face grew pale.

"Pepper."

"Yes Tony?"

"I can't do this."

Pepper let out sigh and moved Peter from her lap onto the couch again. She got up and guided Tony away from Peter so the kid was out of earshot. She rested one of her small hands onto his back, rubbing softly.

"You know you don't have to keep him.” She said quietly. “There are other options."

Tony rubbed his eyes and looked at the kid-- Peter-- again and watched as he ruined his couch, drooling all over it and throwing the pillows on the ground. "What do you think I should do?" He turned back to Pepper, hoping she would be able pull him out of this mess like she usually did.

Pepper sighed again, rubbing the sides of her head. "I don't know Tony. I really don't know."

In the end, Tony decided to keep Peter with him, because he didn't know what else to do.

They kept Peter a secret from the world, to keep him safe. At least that's what Pepper told him, but Tony really knew it was for his own sake. He could barely cope when he first found he had a child, so they couldn't risk letting the whole world know.

But Peter wasn't as terrible as Tony thought he would be. Peter was the sweetest boy in the entire world and he never got into any trouble. He was also remarkably good at speaking, and both things combined just made everything so much easier for Tony.

It didn't take long for him to grow attached, and Pepper even pointed it out one night.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Tony Stark?" She whispered, pointing an accusing finger at Tony, who was laying on the couch, Peter resting on his chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He replied, his eyes stuck on his sleeping son.

Pepper just shook her head, smiling at the sight of them. "You made the right choice. He makes you happy."

"Hmm... I wouldn't call it 'right', it's more selfish if anything."

"What do you mean?"

Tony sighed, his fingers carding through Peter's hair softly. "Howard wasn't the greatest father in the world. Look at how I turned out." Tony snorted at that. "He's all I know and I can't put Peter through that, but I couldn't bring myself to give him away. Anytime I'm about to, he just looks at me with his big Bambi eyes and I can't bring myself to do it. I'm awful at this."

“Sometimes being selfish isn’t a bad thing. And you’re not awful at parenting, you’re doing the best you can and it’s amazing how you grew from when you first met Peter to now.” Pepper leaned over and took his free hand into hers, squeezing gently, “I’m so proud of you, Tony.”

Tony sniffed, a habit that he does when he’s faced with emotions. “I couldn’t have done it without you, you know.” 

“I know.”

* * *

Tony was laying on the couch, planning to catch a few winks before his flight when he felt a small tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see Peter staring up back at him, Tony’s pant leg curled into Peter’s fist.

“Papa, do you really have to go?” Peter asked looking up at his father with his huge puppy dog eyes, begging him to stay. 

Tony pulled Peter onto his stomach, laying him down flat so that Peter’s head rested against his chest and they laid like that, the room completely and utterly quiet. Finally, Tony decided to break the silence.

“Pete, you know what my job is, right?”

“Yeah, you make stuff for the good guys so we can beat the bad guys!” Tony smiled at his words and planted a small kiss on the top of his son’s head.

“That’s right.” He said, holding on to Peter securely as he sat himself up. “So when I build something new for the good guys, I have to go show them how to use it, otherwise the bad guys will win. We don’t want them to win, right?”

Peter nodded his head.

“So that’s why I have to go, you get it?” 

“Yeah but…” Peter huffed, crossing his arms and pouting his bottom lip, which almost killed Tony because of how cute it was. “Why can’t I go with you?”

That is a good question. He can’t tell Peter that it’s dangerous, otherwise he might throw a fit and not let Tony go at all. Maybe because it’s inappropriate? No, that won’t work. Peter learned how to use google at a very young age, and he’s already been exposed to some… interesting content involving Tony. (No, it wasn’t his sex tapes, it was just some videos of him partying and drinking, which still isn’t good but better than what Peter could have discovered). He looked up, and all of a sudden he had his answer right in front of him. Pepper.

“You can’t come because of Pepper.” Tony blurted out, watching Pepper’s face twist with confusion. “Pepper needs you to stay with her and protect her. Can you do that for me kiddo? Can you protect Pepper?” He looked down at his son, who jumped out of Tony’s arms and onto the floor.

“Yes Papa! I won’t let you down!” He ran toward Pepper, shouting a war cry. Before Tony could even process what he was doing, Peter leapt over a couch in front of him and landed on his feet perfectly. “Tada!” Peter threw his arms up in the air, grinning widely at Pepper.

“Holy fu-”

“Tony!” Pepper scolded. He only shrugged in response, making her sigh and glance at her watch.

“You should’ve been on the plane three hours ago, about to arrive in Afghanistan.” She scolded, completely annoyed. 

Tony frowned. “I thought I was on track.”

“Nope. You put JARVIS on mute while you were down at the lab, so she couldn’t give you any reminders.”

“Oh.” Tony shrugs again. “My bad I guess.”

Pepper rolled her eyes and tossed some keys to him, which he barely managed to catch. “This is the only time I condone speeding Tony. You better hurry up, Rhodey won’t stop calling to see if you’re on your way.”

“The mother hen as always. He’s always worried about me, he’s such a great friend-”

“GO!” Tony jumped up from the couch and ran over to the elevator, Pepper and Peter not far behind.

“Bye Peter! I’ll be back soon, alright?” He assured his son as the elevator doors began to shut. “Two days and I’m home, I promise.”

“Bye!” Peter waved his father goodbye and the elevator doors closed, the level number decreasing.

Pepper looked down at the boy and smiled, picking him up. “We’re going to have a fun two days, aren’t we Peter?”

Oh boy, how she was wrong. So completely, utterly, wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been exactly 2 years since i started this fic and it feels so good finally share it c:  
> i hope you enjoyed the story so far!! chapter 2 is coming in a couple of days. pls leave some kudos and or a comment if you did!!


	2. Pepper Potts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Okay, this has to be a secret for right now though, only you and I can know, got it?"  
> "Yes, Missus Potts." Pepper smiled at the name, wondering how in the world she got to be so lucky to know a sweet child like Peter Stark.

Tony didn’t come back in two days like he promised.

He disappeared, taken away by terrorists who called themself the Ten Rings.

Pepper wished he would come back, praying every night to someone, anyone, who might be out there to have mercy on Tony and his poor, poor son.

Of course, no one ever listened, and as days passed, Pepper soon realized that it might take a while for Tony to come home. So she began doing what she did best: planning and organizing Tony’s life for when he came back.

There wasn't much she could do for Stark Industries now that Obadiah had assumed control over the company until Tony returned, but she could still do things for Tony's personal life, like figuring out where Peter should stay until Tony came home. There were only four other people who knew about Peter, so she got to work to get Peter settled as quickly as possible.

Pepper thought it’d be best to give Peter to Rhodey, since he was Tony’s best friend and that fact alone made him seem like the most qualified out of the three of them to take care of Peter.

But Rhodey had refused, explaining to her how hectic his schedule is already as an Air Force Colonel, and now add the fact that Tony’s missing into the equation… He didn’t want to make Peter suffer in that kind of environment.

Pepper understood, she really did. So instead of Rhodey, she tried Happy.

Just her luck, Happy refused as well. His excuse was that he was nowhere near qualified to deal with kids and Pepper believed him by just the first time he met Peter. The look on his face was one of fear.

So that left Obadiah.

It was horrible.

Peter absolutely despised living with Obe, which shocked both him and Pepper. Peter adored Obe before Tony disappeared, but now it was as if he didn’t know the man at all.

They tried for a month. Every single night, Obadiah would call Pepper, pleading her to come over and calm Peter down because nothing he did worked. And every single night, she came and took care of the boy until he fell asleep.

Slowly, her curiosity got the best of her and on one of those nights, she asked Peter why he didn’t like Obadiah.

“I don't like Obe.” Peter hiccuped as he began to calm down from his nightly meltdown. “He scares me.”

Pepper couldn’t stop thinking about what Peter told her that night.

She had absolutely no idea what to do. Her first idea was to have someone else take care of Peter, which could’ve actually worked if she had someone who would. But Rhodey refused, as did Happy, and there was no one else left.

Except her.

She wasn’t sure if Tony approved, considering the fact that she was only his assistant while Obe was a family friend. If he were here, Pepper would have no doubt saying that he would’ve picked Obe as Peter’s caretaker. But Tony wasn’t, it was just Pepper and what she thought was the best course of action.

Pepper’s phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She didn’t even have to look at the Caller ID to know it was Obe, asking her to come over and handle Peter.

“I’ll be right over.” She said, ending the call before he could even say a single word.

* * *

Peter didn’t stop crying, even when Obe left the room and let Pepper take over. In fact, it only got worse.

“What’s wrong Peter?” She asked the boy, pulling him into a comforting hug. It hurt her to see him this upset.

“You!” He wailed out, which made Pepper wince. He must have noticed it, because he threw his arms around her and buried his head into her side.

“You stay with me and hug me lots, but you always leave!” He sobbed out, slightly muffled from Pepper's dress. He then pulled back just enough to look up at her. “I don't want you to leave! Not like Papa!”

“Oh, Peter…” Pepper sighed, feeling her heart shattering. She cupped the boy’s face with her hands, wiping away his tears with her thumbs. “I will never leave you, not now and never in a million years.” Pepper glanced over her shoulder to see if Obe was there and thankfully he wasn’t. She turned back to Peter, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said last time, and I have an idea. Do you want to hear it?” Peter nodded. “Okay, this has to be a secret for right now though, only you and I can know, got it?”

“Yes, Missus Potts.” Pepper smiled at the name, wondering how in the world she got to be so lucky to know a sweet child like Peter Stark.

“I want you to live with me.” Peter’s eyes widened. He looked like he was about to shout with joy so Pepper quickly cut him off.

“Ah ah ah! It's supposed to be secret, remember?” She reminded him in a warning tone. Peter nodded furiously, slapping both hands on his mouth so he didn’t let out a single peep, which just made Pepper laugh. She kissed the top of Peter’s head and wished him a good night, but he grabbed her sleeve as she was getting up.

“Can you stay with me? Please?” 

“Of course.” she said, unable to resist the sweet "please" he tacked on the end of his request. She sat back down on his bed and reached out to stroke his hair. 

They stayed like that for a few moments, Pepper playing with his hair as Peter’s eyelids began drooping. 

It was probably a reckless idea to stay the whole night and risk being late to all of her meetings tomorrow, but Peter always came first. So she kicked off her heels and laid on the bed, shutting her eyes and letting sleep take her.

And that’s where Obadiah found her the next morning, the two of them curled up on Peter’s bed with Peter snuggled in Pepper’s protective embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after this fic is finished i was thinking about writing a one shot that focuses on peter living with pepper bc i think it'd be so cute!! let me know if any of you are interested in seeing that c:  
> anyways i hope you enjoyed this chapter!! pls leave some kudos and/or comments if you did :D


	3. Happy Hogan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh no.” He began, shaking his head and reaching back for the door handle to the car behind him. “Not again.”  
> “Please Happy, you’re the only person I can turn to! They called me for a last-minute meeting, Rhodey is back in Afghanistan and Obadiah… well, we know how that turned out.” Pepper sighed. “Please, it’ll only take about an hour, please just take him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry christmas eve to those who celebrate!! and to those who don't (like me!!) i bid you a happy holidays c:  
> i suppose i'm a sucker for some happy & peter bonding because this chapter is almost as long as pepper's and tony's chapters combined :p  
> onto the story! i hope you guys enjoy it c:

It had been three months since Tony disappeared.

Roughly two months since Pepper took Peter from Obadiah. 

Happy thought that the recent incident would be the last of it. He would finally get a break, just a few minutes to close his eyes and rest.

Of course, considering the fact that he worked for the Starks, he expected too much. Far too much.

“Happy! Happy! Hi Happy!” The man in question turned around to be greeted with the sight of three-year-old Peter Benjamin Stark waving at him, his grin so bright that Happy truly believed his eyes were burning.

“Peter!” Happy’s eyes snapped up to see Pepper hot on the kid’s trail, her panicked expression transforming into one of relief and annoyance. “What did I tell you about running off without me?” Pepper asked, pointing an accusatory finger down at the young boy.

Peter was unaffected by her tone and finger, and just turned his million watt smile from Happy to her.. “You said not to.” He giggled.

Pepper sighed, dropping her entire act. She couldn’t stay mad at Peter for long, and the boy knew that all too well, as he used it to his advantage every single time he got in trouble. She turned to Happy, shooting him an apologetic smile. 

“Oh no.” He began, shaking his head and reaching back for the door handle to the car behind him. “Not again.”

“Please Happy, you’re the only person I can turn to! They called me for a last-minute meeting, Rhodey is back in Afghanistan and Obadiah… well, we know how that turned out.” Pepper sighed. “Please, it’ll only take about an hour, please just take him.” She was pretty much on her knees at this point, which made Happy sigh.

“Okay, but only an hour, no more than that. I drop him off at four on the dot, even if you’re not back yet.”

Pepper kissed his cheek. “Thank you! I’ll tell Tony to give you a raise when he’s back.”

Happy felt his heart twist at the mention of Tony. He felt a little guilt, since it’s been two months that Tony has been gone, and Peter had lost all the family he ever had.

 _Well, maybe not all_ , He thought to himself, watching as Pepper squatted down to Peter’s height and list off a whole novel of rules that he had to follow. 

“And no running off alone Peter, you hear me? If Happy tells me that you even thought about going somewhere without him, you’re going to be in big trouble this time, okay? No tricks or manipulating me this time. Big trouble.” She emphasized her warnings by poking his nose when she spoke the last two words, making him giggle again. Pepper smiled and kissed his forehead before getting up and rushing off to what was most likely another meeting, waving goodbye to Happy and Peter over her shoulder. 

They waited until she was gone completely, then Happy strapped Peter up in his booster seat and off they went, driving out into the world. Happy looked over at Peter through his rear view mirror, watching the kid look out the window with glee.

“Where to first?” He asked, causing Peter’s attention to snap to him.

“Stop when I say stop.” Happy sighed at this, but decided to comply. Letting Peter choose where they went was much easier to deal with than his temper tantrums.

After a while of driving around, Peter jumped up in his car seat. “Stop!” He shouted, pointing out the window. “Stop! Stop! Stop!”  
“Sheesh, alright kid, I get it.” Happy managed to find a spot near Peter’s desired location and parked, glancing at the map. He groaned when he saw what it was. “The park? Really?” Peter nodded, clapping his hands with excitement.

Happy didn’t mind going to the park. He rather enjoyed it, walking around with his dog and sometimes grabbing a bite at a cart nearby, but with Peter it was different. Peter ran around like a headless chicken, screaming with his arms flailing. Happy could barely keep up with him.

But he had promised Pepper that he’d deal with the kid for a few hours, and so if that meant that Peter wanted to go to the park, then they were going to the park.

* * *

Peter was unnaturally good today.

Don’t get him wrong, Happy loved every single second of calm, quiet Peter, but he knew something was up. And he was the only one (as of now) who could deal with it.

“So… Peter.” Happy cringed at the sound of the kid’s name. He had only referred to Peter as ‘the kid’ up until now. “What’s up?”

“The sky.” Peter replied, without missing a beat.

 _Terrible jokes and retorts, just like his father_ , Happy thought to himself, rolling his eyes. “Good one. But that’s not what I meant.”

Peter looked up at Happy, smiling. It almost looked sad. “I know what you mean. And you don’t haf’ta worry Happy, I'm okay 

Happy could tell if someone lying from a mile away, and Peter was no different from the rest.

“Yeah right, cut the crap kid. What’s wrong?”

“Pepper is gonna be mad when I tell her you said a bad word.” Peter giggled a little. He then sighed when he saw that Happy’s expression didn’t falter, and his shoulders drooped. “I miss Papa.” He admitted.

The confession took Happy by surprise. Of course he had an inkling of an idea that Peter was missing Tony (who isn’t?) but he didn’t think Peter could actually tell him what was wrong. Because of that, he was silent, unsure of what to say, which then made Peter mistake his apprehensiveness as annoyance.

Peter rubbed his eyes. “Can we go back now? ‘M tired.”

Happy checked his watch, surprised at how quickly the time had passed. It was four already, Pepper should be expecting Peter back by now.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Happy helped Peter hop off the bench, and they began making their way out of the park when something caught Happy’s eye

It was an ice cream cart, pushed around by a man who was walking oddly fast for someone who should be trying to sell ice cream. _Probably trying to avoid kids_ , Happy thought, glancing down at Peter. It was quite early still to have ice cream, especially since Peter didn’t have lunch yet, but Pepper shouldn’t mind too much…

Happy put his hand on the kid’s shoulder, redirecting him to the fleeing ice cream cart, which they thankfully managed to stop.

“I’ll have one Captain America popsicle.” Happy told the grumpy ice cream vendor. The vendor let out an annoyed sigh and reached down in his cart to fish out the popsicle, shoving it into Peter’s hands.

“That’ll be fifteen bucks.”

“Fifteen? You gotta be joking.” Happy said incredulously. 

“I ain’t fucking with ya. Fifteen now, or I make it thirty with another one of your smartass comebacks.”

Happy opened his mouth, to just tell this guy that there was a impressionable kid _literally_ a foot away and was currently hearing every single word that came out of the vendor's mouth, but Peter stopped him by tugging on Happy's sleeve and shaking his head. Happy sighed and shut his mouth, pulling out his wallet instead and slapping the money in the guy’s hand.

“Have a nice day.” The man chuckled.

Peter shook his head as they watched the man walk off. “Asshole.” He muttered, licking his popsicle.

Happy looked down at the kid, sighing. “You’re not wrong, kid. Just avoid saying that stuff around Pepper.”

Peter looked up at him with a grin. “It can be our secret!”

“Yeah, our secret. You can’t tell anyone.”

“I promise!” Peter told him sincerely, slapping a hand on his mouth to add emphasis on his words. 

Happy smiled, gently pushing the kid forward. “C’mon, I have to get you home kid.”

They finally made it back to the car, and thankfully, Peter had finished his popsicle, so Happy didn’t have to worry about him making a mess in the car. As he was buckling Peter in, he thought about what Peter had told him earlier, stopping completely. After a moment, Peter realized Happy wasn’t doing anything and looked at him.

“Happy? Are you okay?”

Happy snapped out of his thoughts, meeting Peter’s concerned gaze. “Yeah kid, I’m good.” He cleared his throat, not fully sure how to phrase what he wanted to say next without sounding awkward. “Uh, so, remember what you told me earlier? About Tony?”

Peter nodded, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“So, I just wanted to say that it’s okay that you’re missing him. He’s your dad, of course you would miss him. But don’t feel like your, ah, feelings don’t matter, because they do. Tell someone about them, Pepper, Rhodey, Obe- hell, even me if you want. Yeah, that’s it.” Happy scratched the back of his neck, feeling his cheeks heat up a little. God, what was he thinking? Peter probably doesn’t really understand what he’s saying, and if he did, would it really matter to him? Happy didn’t know shit about kids, he wasn't even sure if this was the kind of thing you told kids! God, Pepper is going to be _so_ angry at him for today… 

“Thank you Happy.” Happy looked up just as Peter reached over and pressed a sloppy kiss on his cheek. His face twisted up into one of disgust, pulling the kid away from his face and scrubbing the saliva off his cheek with his sleeve.

“What the hell, kid?! You don’t just rub your saliva all over people’s faces!” Peter just laughed in response. Happy just let out a sigh, but internally he felt relieved that Peter understood what he was saying. 

“Alright, let’s get you home.”

* * *

Happy pulled up into the parking garage, glancing at Peter in the rear view mirror again. The boy was slumped in his car seat, fast asleep. 

He got out and freed Peter from his car seat, carrying him up to Pepper’s apartment. He knocked, sighing when no one answered. He dug around in his pocket for an extra key she gave him a while back and unlocked the door, letting it swing open. He looked over at Peter, who was still fast asleep, face squished against his shoulder. He sighed and entered the apartment, and slowly closed the door behind him so as to not wake the kid up.

He managed to find Peter’s room, which wasn’t actually that hard to find in the first place. His walls were covered with posters, mostly of all that nerdy stuff he loves. He heard something crunch under his shoes, and he looked down to see a half assembled Lego set. He scooted the Legos out of his path with his foot as he made his way over to Peter’s bed.

He laid the boy down, pulling his covers over his body and crouched down to look at the kid. He realized that Peter was still half awake somehow, giving Happy a dopey smile.

“Thank you ‘ncle Happy” Peter whispered sleepily, his eyes shutting before Happy could say anything, not that he would if he was given the chance. Happy froze as soon as he realized what Peter called him.

Uncle.

Peter saw him as one of his uncles.

Happy wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about this revelation. Kids were his least favorite thing to deal with. They always said whatever was on their minds, brutally honest to everyone they meet. They were sloppy, annoying, and just overall things that Happy refused to associate with.

But Peter was different. Sure, he spoke his mind, but never things that were unintentionally mean. He knew what he could say and things that he probably shouldn't. He was sloppy, but always helped clean up his messes. He was so damn annoying sometimes, but other times he was sweet and cute, like right now.

Happy decided that being seen as Peter’s uncle was a good thing, and he wouldn’t stop the kid from viewing him that way no matter what.

* * *

Pepper entered her apartment, sighing and tossing her back on the countertop. She kicked off her heels and freed her hair from the tight bun it had been in all day, and froze when she saw Happy snoring away on her couch. 

She tiptoed over to him, poking him awake. “Happy?”

The man snorted awake, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “Pepper! Hey, uh, you’re home!”

“Yes, I’m home. What are you doing here?” She asked, watching the man try and recompose himself. “Is Peter here?”

“Yeah, he’s just taking a nap. Should be up by now.” Happy got up, stepping away from Pepper. “I better get going, got stuff to do and all that.”

“Are you okay Happy? You seem off, did Peter do something to you?” Happy shook his head almost aggressively, walking backwards toward the door.

“No, no! He’s a great kid, really great kid, just the best.”

Pepper cocked her head curiously, a smile forming on her face. “The best, huh? I thought you didn’t like kids.”

Happy checked his arm, the one that did not have his watch. “Oh boy, it sure is getting late, huh? I better get going. Bye Pep, see you tomorrow.” He all but ran out the door, leaving an amused Pepper behind. 

“Missus Potts?” Pepper turned around to see Peter standing there, rubbing his eye with one hand and clutching his blanket in the other. “Was that Uncle- I mean, Mister Happy?”

It finally clicked in her head why Happy was being so strange. _Uncle_. “Yes Peter, that was Happy. He just left.”

“Oh.” Peter looked so disappointed, which made Pepper laugh a little. _They were only alone together for an hour_ , she thought to herself. _How could they have become so close_?

“It’s okay Peter, we’ll see him again tomorrow.”

The boy perked up almost immediately. “Really?!”

“Yes, really.” Pepper giggled, plopping down on the couch. “Now get over here, tonight is movie night, isn’t? it You can choose the movie tonight.”

Peter cheered and ran over, climbing up on the couch and grabbing the StarkPad to look through all the choices. Then her phone rang and she excused herself to the kitchen to take the call.

“Hello?”

“Pepper!” It was Rhodey. He sounded out of breath and excited, which confused her. He hadn’t been this happy in months, not since Tony disappeared.

“Rhodey? Why are you calling me? What happened?”

“We found him! We found him, he’s _alive_ Pepper!” There was some mumbling in the background, then some scuffling before the line was completely silent excluding what seemed to be the sound of a chopper.

“Hello? Rhodey?” Pepper asked hesitantly, unsure of if this was reality or not. 

Then, a familiar voice came on the line, one that Pepper thought she wouldn’t ever hear again.

“Hey Pep. Miss me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to keep writing so bad but it was getting pretty long rip. maybe i'll finish the part i cut out and upload it separately if you guys are interested in that.  
> i hope you enjoy this story so far!! leave kudos/comments to let me know what you think!! c:


	4. James Rhodes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhodey wished he could be as close with Peter as Pepper and Happy were.

Rhodey wished he could be as close with Peter as Pepper and Happy were, but he knew it was impossible. Not after he failed to protect his dad.

Seeing Peter was like a giant “fuck you!” from the beyond, courtesy of Tony. Everything about the kid was reminiscent of his late father. From his curly, unkempt brown hair and matching set of wide, doe eyes to the way Peter was already taking apart television remotes and other gadgets Pepper would accidentally leave within Peter’s reach.

Just the thought of seeing those big doe eyes filled with disappointment and hatred made Rhodey feel sick to his stomach.

He avoided Peter as much as he could, even when Pepper begged him to talk to the boy during the first month after Tony disappeared. He just couldn’t deal with the crushing disappointment and guilt that would come once he heard the kid’s broken cries for his dad.

Rhodey still avoided Peter even after they got Tony back. Just because his dad came home didn’t mean the kid would forgive him for failing to protect his dad. Rhodey wouldn’t forgive himself either.

Tony caught on pretty quickly, being the genius he is. He finally called Rhodey out after he rejected the offer of a visit for the third time.

“Alright, the jig’s up Platypus.” Tony said with a sigh. “Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you.” Rhodey said, which was technically true so he didn’t feel too guilty for saying it.

“Oh sorry, did I say me? I actually meant to ask why you’re avoiding Peter.” Rhodey fell silent, knowing he couldn’t evade the accusation this time around.

The silence stretched on for several moments before Tony spoke up again.

“Come down for a visit.” He said quietly. “Please.”

There was a quiet “click” and Rhodey pulled his phone away to see that Tony had hung up on him. The man sighed and sat down on his couch, resting his head in his hands. There was no avoiding it now. It looks like he has to start his Christmas shopping a week earlier than he planned.

* * *

Rhodey stood outside the front door, raising his hand to knock on the door but losing his courage when his fist was centimeters away from the wood. He sighed and rubbed his temples with his hand, trying to push away the image of Peter’s disappointed expression that creeped up on his mind more as the trip to Tony’s came closer.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Rhodey was met with the sight of Tony and Peter, the two of them wearing matching red sweaters covered in white speckles with a snowman in the center.

“Bear!” Peter cried out, making Rhodey laugh. When Peter was first learning how to talk, he struggled to say Rhodey and since Tony called him Honeybear half the time, Peter picked up on calling him Bear. Now the name was stuck, but Rhodey didn’t mind it at all.

Peter was now trying to wiggle out of Tony’s arms, forcing Tony to readjust his grip on his son before letting out an annoyed huff.

“As soon as Rhodey shows up, it’s like you completely forget that I exist!” Tony grumbled. “I’m your dad. I’m supposed to be the coolest dad ever! I’m a billionaire for fu-”

“Alright, calm down Tones.” Rhodey chuckled, effectively cutting Tony off as to prevent a future, sugar-high Peter Stark running around the house screaming “fuck” at the top of his lungs while he, Tony and Pepper chased him down.

Tony sighed and stepped aside to let Rhodey in, shutting the door with just his foot afterward. Rhodey looked around the house, in complete awe of all the decorations that covered the interior of the house. There was red and gold tinsel wrapped all along the banister of the staircase along with shiny red and gold striped bows. In the living room, there was a massive Christmas tree decorated from head to toe in shiny red and gold ornaments.

“I’m sensing a theme here.” Rhodey jokes. There was laughter behind him and he turned around to see Pepper standing behind him wearing a red and gold Santa hat (of course).

“It’s all Peter’s doing,” She explained, sitting down on the couch and picking up one of the festive mugs that Rhodey assumed were filled with hot chocolate. “We tried to convince him to do the traditional Christmas colors, but he insisted that red goes better with gold.”

“He’s not wrong.” Rhodey turned again to see Tony enter the living room with Peter in tow. Peter darted over to Rhodey, tugging on the man’s sleeve while looking up at him with bright eyes that were filled with excitement. The sight threw Rhodey off, it was nothing like what he expected to see from Peter. Did Peter forgive him for not protecting his father? Was he ever mad at Rhodey to begin with?

“Bear! Do you wanna see the stockings Missus Potts and I made together?!” Peter shouted, still tugging on Rhodey’s sleeves.

Rhodey nodded, too nervous to say anything aloud. He let the kid drag him over to the fireplace and eagerly point at the lumpy socks that were hung.

“This one’s Papa’s!” He said, pointing at a green stocking with messy red letters that spelled out “Papa”. “I made it green ‘cause Papa doesn’t like Christmas, like the Grinch!”

Peter ignored Tony’s offended gasp and Pepper’s giggles to point at another stocking with Pepper’s name on it. “This one is Missus Potts’! It’s gold because Missus Potts’ hair is gold and I like it.”

“Why is my son so mean to me?! What did I do to deserve this?!” Tony said in mock outrage, dramatically flopping on the couch next to Pepper. This time, Peter turned to him with a frown on his face.

“Shhhh Papa!” He scolded, pointing a finger and all. “I’m showing Bear my stockings!”

Peter missed the way Tony’s eyes bugged out and jaw dropped while Pepper was all but cackling.

“This one is Uncle Happy’s because I don’t know his favorite color” He said, pointing at a black stocking with Happy written on it.

“And this one is yours!” He said, when they reach the navy blue stocking. Rhodey felt choked up when he saw “Bear” scrawled at the top with a white fabric marker.

Rhodey finally crouched down to Peter’s height and the boy began nervously picking at a loose thread on his sweater as he spoke.

“Papa says you didn’t wanna see me because you thought I was mad at you.” Peter told him quietly. Rhodey blinked at the kid, and opened his mouth to say something, anything, but Peter wasn’t done yet.

“I think it’s stupid that you thought I was mad.” Peter huffed out. “You lost Papa but then you found him, so it’s okay”

Rhodey was speechless. He just stared at the boy, who stared back with his wide doe eyes that were free of judgement and hatred.

Peter then grabbed his sleeve again, tugging him toward the last stocking. “I wanna show you my stocking Bear!” He shouted gleefully, as if the last couple minutes didn’t happen.

“I… Okay” Rhodey said softly, letting Peter drag him to a red stocking that was covered in cutesy designs that were stitched on. There was a robot, a smiley face, a chili pepper, and a bear.

“I asked Missus Potts for help.” Peter said shyly, not meeting Rhodey’s eyes. “I wanted my family on my stocking”

Family.

Peter thought of him as family.

Rhodey looked at Pepper and Tony, both of them teary eyed and wearing the biggest grins. Rhodey felt the same grin creeping onto his face as he grabbed Peter and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Thank you Peter.” Rhodey choked out.

Rhodey felt small hands pat his sides comfortingly. “I love you Bear.” He said and Rhodey swore he could’ve started crying right then and there.

Then, Peter wriggled out of his arms and ran over to Pepper and Tony, throwing himself onto them. “I love you Papa and Missus Potts!

Just then, Happy walked into the room, holding bags of takeout in each hand. Peter jumped off the couch and darted over to Happy, throwing his arms around the man and crying out “I love you Uncle Happy!”

Everyone laughed at how red Happy’s cheeks turned.

Later that night, while Peter was passed out on the couch with his head resting on Tony's lap, Rhodey stroked Peter’s hair and quietly said “We love you too, Pete. We love you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's all folks! just kidding of course, there's still many more family members we need to cover, but we'll get into them in the next fic. i'd appreciate any recommendations for the next fic. i'd love to know who you all think peter would get along with.  
> anyway, thank you so much for reading and if you leave kudos or comments, thank you even more. getting those emails saying "so and so left kudos on your work" or "so and so left a comment" mean the world to me. it's what made me pick up writing again and it motivates me to continue.  
> merry christmas everyone!! and if you're like me and don't celebrate, then i hope you have a wonderful holiday!! c:


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